Muslims, Scholars, Soldiers

The Origin and Elaboration of the Ibadi Imamate Traditions

Adam Gaiser

Description

A study of the origin and development of the Ibadi Imamate ideal into its medieval Arabian and North African articulations, this study traces the distinctive features of the Ibadi imama to precedents among the early Kharijites, Rashidun Caliphs and pre-Islamic Arabs. Using the four "states of religion" (masalik al-din) as an organizing principle for its chapters, the book examines the four associated Imam-types that are appropriate to such states - the Imam al-Zuhur (Imam of Manifestation), Imam al-Difa'a (Imam of Defense), Imam al-Shari (the "Seller" Imam who triumphed over his enemies or "sold" himself to God in the attempt) and Imam al-Kitman (Imam of Secrecy) - and locates each Imam-type within a trajectory of Ibadi development. Some distinctive features of the Ibadi Imamate tradition, such as the shari Imam who selflessly fought for the establishment of the Ibadi polity, are shown to be rooted in the early Kharijite martyrdom narratives that were appropriated by the Ibadiyya and later transformed into systematic doctrines. Still others, such as the "weak" Imam who accepted provisional authority under the control of the 'ulama` hearken back to pre-Islamic patterns of limited authority that subsequently found their way into early Islamic political norms. Working from a perspective that challenges the "exceptional" interpretation of Kharijite and Ibadite doctrine and practice, this study seeks to root much of Ibadi political theory in the same early traditions of Islamic political practice that later provided legitimacy to Sunni Muslim political theorists. The result is a historically grounded and complex presentation of the development of political doctrine among the sole remaining relative of the early Kharijites.

Author Information

Muslims, Scholars, Soldiers

The Origin and Elaboration of the Ibadi Imamate Traditions

Adam Gaiser

Reviews and Awards

"Gaiser brilliantly traces the ideal of the Ibadi Imamate to its roots in the Kharijites, the Rightly Guided Caliphs, the Qur'an, the authority of Muhammad, and also the pre-Islamic tribal society. Muslims, Scholars, Soldiers brings a wealth of information on one of the least studied subjects in Islam, provides a fresh and unique perspective on the course of Islamic history, and corrects the common scholarly misperception of the Kharijites and Ibadiiyya." --Hussam S. Timani, author of Modern Intellectual Readings of the Kharijites

"The Ibadiyya may be few in number today, but their history of authority provides an important alternative understanding of the religio-political debates and divisions that shaped early Islam. Muslims, Scholars, Soldiers traces out the history of the Ibadi Imamate with clarity and erudition. It will become essential reading for anyone interested in the Ibadiiyya and Kharijites in particular and Islamic political authority in general." --Jeffrey T. Kenney, author of Muslims Rebels: Kharijites and the Politics of Extremism in Egypt

"Gaiser provides a fresh perspective on early Islamic intellectual history through a critical, thematic exploitation of Ibadi Muslim sources on the nature of legitimate authority (im?mate). He shows how Ibadi theory was based on precedents in earlier Kharijite, early Islamic and pre-Islamic tribal institutions of authority, and his recognition of Ibadi Muslims as a third branch of early Islam enables us to escape the Sunni-Shici dichotomy." --Michael Morony, Professor of History, University of California-Los Angeles

"Gaiser provides a comprehensive description not only of the development of Ibadism today and its roots, but how religious identities and institutions are created."--Middle East Journal

"Any cogent, serious study of the Kharijites is a welcome addition to the study of Islamic history. Although there have been very good studies of the Kharjites in English and Arabic, the tendency is to view them as an anomalous socioreligious phenomenon whose primary analytical value is to bring into historical relief the Sunni and Shi'ite schools of though. Adam Gaiser's Muslims, Scholas, Soldiers: The Origin and Elaboration of the Ibadi Imamate Traditions, however, attempts to fill a wide gap through carefully organized research that explores the interconnections between various Kharijite and non-Kharijite communities in the late seventh through early tenth centuries CE."--The Journal of Religion

"A concise but depthful essay on early Islamic political thought, based on the study of the Kharijite and Ibadi Imamate theory. This work will certainly contribute to enhance scholars' interest in the intellectual legacy of this forgotten Islam."--Der Islam